1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to flooring panels for use in commercial, industrial or residential environments. More particularly, this invention relates to flooring panels having an aesthetically pleasing appearance provided by texturing imparted to the surface of the panels. In certain embodiments, the texture is aligned in registration with a visible graphic design displayed by the panel to further enhance the aesthetic appearance of the flooring panel.
2. Background Art
Various laminates, including high pressure laminates and fiberboard core laminates, are commonly used in flooring applications. Fiberboard core laminates used to manufacture flooring products include a plurality of layers, including a fiberboard or organic composite core section, a decorative layer, and a hard and flat protective wear layer of resin-impregnated melamine material.
The wear layer of the laminate in such systems is typically clear, such that the aesthetic appearance, including any color and/or printed image of the decorative layer, is not obscured by the wear layer. Further, the top surface of the wear layer is typically flat, such that the flooring panel exhibits a two-dimensional appearance to the onlooker. Thus, while the decorative layer may exhibit an appearance that simulates “natural” flooring materials such as hardwood or ceramic tile, the typical laminate wear layer simply allows an unobstructed view of the laminate decorative layer, and does not add to or enhance the aesthetic properties of the flooring panel.
Some prior art laminate flooring systems have included barely-perceptible indentations imparted to the laminate wear layer to interrupt the aforementioned two-dimensional appearance. Those systems feature shallow indentations of a depth not exceeding 0.25 millimeters (“mm”). Further, the location of individual indentations or the “pattern” of indentations provided in prior art systems are unrelated and unlinked to the aesthetic image provided by the decorative laminate layer. Thus, any indentation pattern in prior art laminate wear layers is not related in any way to the selected aesthetic appearance of the decorative laminate layer.